The government has announced that it will stop funding the National Immigration Facility (LVV), formerly known as the bed-bath-bread programme, by 2025. The Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Eindhoven municipalities will have to finance this programme themselves starting in 2025, but the city of Rotterdam plans to discontinue the LVV. Various experts have raised concerns about this government plan, including Mieke Kox, Assistant Professor of Criminology at Erasmus School of Law. We discussed this issue with her.
Kox has been involved in several studies on undocumented people in the Netherlands over the past few years. These so-called irregular migrants or undocumented migrants represent a diverse group: rejected asylum seekers, former unaccompanied minors, labour migrants without the necessary documents, women who lost their dependent residence status after a divorce, and many others. Kox has focused on researching how undocumented migrants interpret the law and how they respond to it.
What is the National Immigration Facility?
"The bed-bath-bread programme - now known as the LVV - provides shelter to undocumented migrants who meet certain criteria. They can stay here temporarily while the municipality, the Repatriation and Departure Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, NGOs, and other stakeholders work together to explore future perspectives for the individual. This could involve repatriation, obtaining residency, or onward migration. The LVV not only provides a humane temporary shelter but also provides a chance to find sustainable solutions to end the illegal stay," Kox explains. According to recent government data from the report 'The State of Migration', a sustainable solution has been found for a substantial number of undocumented migrants through the LVV.
Kox emphasizes that the LVV did not come about by chance. The programme was created following a ruling by the European Committee of Social Rights of the Council of Europe, which determined that the Netherlands must provide such facilities to undocumented migrants to prevent violations of their rights and ensure they do not live in inhumane conditions. Kox explains: "This ruling sparked considerable political debate and legal procedures at the time, but ultimately led to the establishment of the LVV. The discontinuation of this programme raises many legal questions."
The termination of the programme
Currently, 45 undocumented people use the LVV in Rotterdam. We asked Kox why the programme’ s termination would have a major impact. She explains: "Currently, only the most vulnerable individuals can access the bed-bath-bread programme. Some more undocumented migrants would want to use the LVV because they have no permanent residence and nowhere else to go. However, due to capacity limitations, they cannot be accommodated. So, it already concerns the most vulnerable individuals within an already vulnerable group. That is why the municipality has pointed out the potentially dangerous consequences of terminating the programme in their city."
According to Kox, one consequence of ending this programme is that more people will live on the streets, which the public could perceive as unsafe. Additionally, it is expected that terminating the LVV will negatively affect the health of undocumented migrants, leading to higher healthcare costs for this group.
Furthermore, Kox explains that the bed-bath-bread programme is not only of added value in terms of providing shelter for undocumented people but also a collaboration between all involved parties. "Through this cooperation, more out-of-the-box solutions can be considered for the individual. This raises the question what will happen to this collaborative structure if the bed-bath-bread programme ends, and what does this mean for the chances of finding sustainable solutions for undocumented people."
Is humanity at stake?
The discontinuation of the bed-bath-bread programme affects not only society but also those in the most vulnerable positions. This brings us to the question: What will happen to these vulnerable people when they lose their last place of shelter? "Some may still have acquaintances to stay with, though this is often temporary, and people are forced to move from one couch to another. Others do not have a network, or their network has already been exhausted by previous help, leaving them nowhere to go. Despite their vulnerability, they will end up on the streets. This will force them to focus solely on survival, leaving no room to seek return or another sustainable future perspective. In addition, they may lose the previous help they received to pursue those options. This will have a tremendously negative impact on their physical and mental well-being. It is not as if they will simply disappear or return immediately, as Minister Faber of Asylum and Migration intends. If deporting this group were so easy, they would have already been forced to return from the LVV. Therefore, even after the closure of the LVV, this group will remain in the Netherlands, but without a permanent residence," Kox explains.
Why is the National Immigration Facility necessary?
Kox states that the Netherlands is known for its strict regime regarding undocumented migrants. They are excluded from the formal labour market, social services except for essential medical care, education for minors, and legal aid. Kox points out: "Additionally, the Netherlands has a relatively small informal economy with more regulation, making it harder to turn to the informal labour market compared to other countries. This makes it more difficult for undocumented migrants in the Netherlands to support themselves, meaning that a last-resort measure like the bed-bath-bread programme is more necessary here than in other countries."